OK, one Saturday during the season was Christmas Day but I did see action on Boxing Day.

The thrills and spills of England’s opening fixture in Women’s Euro 2005, which I witnessed along with about 3 million other telly viewers on Sunday evening, inspired me to make immediate arrangements to go up for one of the Championship matches at the weekend.

During my first few years as a football fan I don’t think women’s football even existed. I went to my first women’s match in 1993, the year in which The FA took over the running of the sport. That gave it more of a status from my perspective and AFC Bournemouth Ladies v Aylesbury United in The FA Women’s Cup First Round turned out to be a good start.

In twelve years of going to women’s matches I’ve never felt I was watching a different game to the men’s. Certainly the rules are the same. Yes, there’s an emphasis on passing and teamwork and there isn’t much fouling or dissent towards the referee. I’ve only seen four red cards in those twelve years.

But I recognise the game is changing. The players are a lot fitter now and there’s more tackling, some of it quite robust. In short it’s becoming more and more like the men’s game.

The only thing missing is decent crowds at matches other than internationals and The FA Cup Final. I saw a Cup-tie at Reading Royals, for example, when there were just three people watching. And one of those only had one leg, so we had five legs between us.

That was the match when the Farnborough left-winger, apparently suffering from a heavy cold, went to the bench to sip a hot drink while play was going on. One of her team-mates passed her the ball and she controlled it before setting off on a run down the wing, still clutching the cup. She ended up putting in a firm shot that the Royals ‘keeper turned round for a corner.

Yes, I think she spilt most of it!

I think it’s natural for a male spectator to feel uncomfortable when a female player is hurt on a football field, and this is more likely to happen with the game becoming more physical. But it’s their choice to play and that’s the most important thing.

My last game of the 2004-05 season, as my regular reader will know, finished John Brown 3 Hudson 5. But did it? According to the website that covers the London League, the score was 4-5. I think I can explain…

There’s a smart six-lane running track round Pitch 2 at Paddington Rec and one of the joggers that evening was a fit-looking blonde, possibly Russian. After each lap she would remove an item of clothing. I think "The Barber" became very slightly distracted and, er, missed a goal.